As I press play, the album starts with some funky instrumentals. They give me garage band vibes–I feel like one would categorize them under indie/alternative. Their voice is pretty good. The more I listen, the more I like the song “Debt Collector.” I like how they sound but don’t think they needed the experimental background noise; I’m not sure what it adds to the song as a whole and believe they can get their message across without it. My dad’s first reaction was that they feel “bipolar” and “not sure who they want to be.” It’s quite likely they’re still figuring out who they are as a band. Based on their account on Spotify, their oldest single was just last year, 2020. 

Continuing to listen to the album, I found “Wrong Places” starts much calmer. I personally like it better. It has a good beat and becomes upbeat, which keeps me entertained. Fort’s voice is much quieter in this song, and he does not increase his volume until the chorus. The song as a whole seems to be more formulaic, starting calm, raising for the chorus, then lowers in volume again in the end. I think it’s superior to the first song. It sounds similar to the music I choose to listen to for myself. With that being said, maybe that makes me biased. Perhaps they wanted to escape the routine and do something more experimental. And maybe it’s people like me that keep these artists in a box. I do not intend to. I want artists to find their unique voice and sound. However, the formulaic songs may initially grab people’s attention until the band becomes skilled in the experimental avenue. 

Moving forward, “Dancing On An Empty Floor” seems to have a similar formula to “Wrong Places.” Going to what I said above, maybe this is their standard format, and the first song was experimental. This song is also pretty calm, there’s hurt in their voice, but it’s not overwhelming. This song was good; I’d listen to it again. It could be my favorite of the album. 

So, I thought the others were calm and pretty quiet; their song “Terrified” disproves my theory. This song starts very quietly, but it gives the feeling that it’ll pick up later. It’s a slower song compared to the rest. I like the addition of violins in the background; I feel it adds to the emotion. Even as the background beat picks up, their voice stays relatively quiet. As it plays into the title, I believe this was an intelligent choice, encapsulating the listener with the feeling of being terrified. 

By the time it got to the fourth song, I wish there would be more in the album. I felt as if the album reached its climax, and it could use four more songs to come back down and conclude. I wanted to continue listening. I hope they continue create a more extensive collection of songs in the future. I feel they are doing well for a new band and are on the pathway to success in the music industry. I hope they continue to experiment, but as they do, I hope they reflect on their experimental songs and ask what do these sounds add to the song? I wish Mothé the best of luck as they continue on their music career. 

Check out Mothé here.

Take a look at Hailey’s previous article here.